by Marie
(Canada)
Cote Mer Sign in Island Harbour
UPDATE: Cote Mer has since closed.
I went to Coté Mer, Island Harbour. The set up is magical, the beach, the view, the location itself, the bar, the staff, but most of all, the food is just so incredible.
Thomas Chiarelli, a French chef, is in charge of the menu, and let's just say we can feel his experience from cooking all over the world. Every single item on the menu is worth trying. You can just stay there for as long as you want, feet in the sand, glass of wine in hands.
This place is wonderful, magical, and so far, the best I've known from Anguilla restaurants.
Marie from Canada
Nori's reply: Marie, Coté Mer is in my top 3 Anguilla restaurant list. My Mom and Dad are regulars! Each meal we have with Stephan and Thomas is better than the last.
Thomas' cooking is exquisite. He has worked all over the world. Thomas and Stephan (originally from France) moved to Anguilla from Moscow, Russia where they were running a five star restaurant. Now that is a change in climate!
Together they make quite a pair, Stephan being the perfect host and Thomas providing the most divine dining. Together they create an irresistible experience. I'm counting down the days until our next dinner with them in Island Harbour.
See you there, at Coté Mer!
by Bob V.
(California)
UPDATE: Cote Mer has since closed.
We just returned from our most recent visit to Anguilla (been going there almost every year since 1995). Our family has a house in Island Harbour so we too were so excited to find that Cote Mer has a new owner and chef. Not that Michel wasn't a fine French Chef, but the menu was just too rich and fattening for our liking and health.
Our first try was shortly after we arrived this past summer, and we were stunned by the diversity of dishes that were tasty and prepared with a healthy twist. We left satisfied and ready to come back a few days later to try the Friday Fish specials.
What was offered was also excellent.
But here's where things get even better...
We had just one more night to dine before heading back to California and my father had gone to the island fishery and came home with three gigantic fresh snappers. I didn't really want to have him cook another meal at the house, so I drove over to Cote Mer and asked Stephan if they could cook the fish for us at the restaurant. He said yes, as long as they could do it in the foil pouch as they normally prepare that kind of dish. Not a problem, as we had tried that dish before and just loved it.
So the three big fish fed all five of us. Not that I recommend people "BYOF", but it was sure nice of Stephan and Thomas to do it for us. We also had a chance to try the Pineapple Vodka. I like it even better than the Ginger Vodka. And that's really saying something!
We try to hit all different restaurants each visit to Anguilla, and once before dined twice in the same place. But this was the first "Three-pete" and we will be sure to start and finish our visits to Anguilla with a meal at Cote Mer!
Nori's Reply: Bob, I couldn't agree with you more.
The New Cote Mer is simply a one of a kind restaurant.
The location is quiet and remote, tucked away from the more popular West end. The hospitality is perfectly balanced. Stephan and Thomas know how to manage a five-star restaurant!
And most importantly?
Their menu - innovative, unique, refreshing. No one is cooking like this in Anguilla. And like you said, I always wake up the next morning having even lost weight. The meals are not heavy, they are not drowned in salt, butter or other unhealthy ingredients. They are light, healthy, and always delicious.
We also live close to the East End. Having one of our Top 3 Favorite Five-Star Restaurants nearby, that is also only a five minute drive from home, is a dream. My parents have become "regulars" at Cote Mer already.
What a great story with the fresh snappers. Your fish that night must have tasted twice as good! A perfect way to end a night, and a vacation.
I'll try the Pineapple Vodka next time, you try the Passion Fruit! ;-) Their homemade vodkas sure are dangerous!
Click here to read our Anguilla restaurant review of the New Cote Mer.
